Marine Inverters

Although marine power inverters serve the use of traditional inverters in that they convert DC power to AC power used by most devices powered by electricity made from solar panels, they do that many things that set them apart, specifically designed for the marine environment. When you are buying an inverter for your boat you should absolutely buy a dedicated marine power inverter because they are specially manufactured to deal with the corrosive salt water environment.

When choosing your marine power inverter, you need to consider typical factors including assessing what you will be running from your solar power system and how much power those devices require. If you are creating a hybrid solar and generator based system, you'll want to think about how to integrate them together.

You'll also want to consider what kind of solar power you'll be able to gather; namely will you have permanently installed rigid solar power panels or will you create a solar panel bank using portable or flexible solar panels? Being prepared with information like this before you make your buying decision is prudent and will ensure that you buy the correct marine inverter and other components to secure your independent solar power marine system.

Xantrex Freedom HFS Overview

In marine power inverters you have two main choices; pure sine wave inverters and modifies sine wave inverters. Pure sine wave inverters have a better reputation for providing smooth and ideal AC power that can feed small, hardy appliances and even more delicate ones like microwaves and computers. They do tend to be a bit more expensive because these marine power inverters are the closest to actual power on the grid.

Modified sine wave marine inverters are less expensive but provide "choppy" power that tends to overheat items like surge protectors, power converters and can make some appliances unreliable. Additionally, it is universally understood that pure sine wave marine power inverters are more efficient than modified sine wave inverters.

The best way to move forward if you are just designing your marine solar power system or if you are just looking for an inverter is to ask for expert advice. Our energy experts at altE can take all of your solar power components into consideration and make the best product recommendation for your environment.